Lawyers need lawyers too. At Swanson Martin & Bell, LLP, lawyers retain the firm to help them with all manner of legal issues unique to attorneys.
Legal Malpractice
When lawyers face malpractice suits, the firm defends them through motion practice, settlement, or trial. The firm’s attorneys have secured not-guilty verdicts in cases where former clients sought tens of millions of dollars in damages. With extensive experience, they have access to a network of experts across various areas, including estate planning, commercial real estate, personal injury, intellectual property, insurance defense, bankruptcy, professional liability, appeals, securities, corporate law, and taxation.
Additionally, the firm has numerous reported and unreported decisions asserting strong positions for attorneys in reviewing courts.
ARDC Investigations
The firm represents attorneys and witnesses before the Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission (ARDC) of the Supreme Court of Illinois, which promotes the integrity of the legal profession through registration, education, investigation, prosecution, and remedial actions.
Ethics Opinions
Other attorneys frequently retain Swanson Martin & Bell, LLP to provide opinions on ethical considerations facing law firms, such as conflicts of interest, disqualification, unreasonable fees and billing practices, and the sale of a law firm practice, among other matters.
Fee Disputes
Lawyers working on contingency often share fees with other attorneys outside their firms. When disputes arise, Swanson Martin & Bell, LLP quickly assists clients by attempting to resolve the issue amicably, keeping fees and expenses to a minimum. If a resolution cannot be reached, the firm is prepared to take the case to trial to ensure a fair result.
Law Firm Dissolutions
Swanson Martin & Bell, LLP has represented partners who have left law firms, as well as those whose law firms have dissolved. Whether the dispute is public and in court or private and in arbitration, the firm’s attorneys bring extensive experience in both arenas, providing expert counsel to attorneys and law firm clients.
- Obtained summary judgment for estate planner in Cook County where he alleged to have not protected the testator from the undue influence of his wife, causing her to help change his estate plan so that she obtained $10 million more in her husband’s assets
- Obtained dismissal with prejudice as not ripe a malpractice case against associate sued for allegedly mishandling custody
- Estate planner obtained dismissal with prejudice arguing successfully that the statute of repose barred the claims against him for his conditional assignment of interest in LLC
- Obtained summary judgment in Northern District of Illinois for litigator in case where he was alleged to have filed untimely libel, and other claims, after plaintiff failed to disclose an expert linking the supposedly lost claims to his damages
- Obtained summary judgment in Cook County for estate planning attorney accused of erring in drafting will such that $4 million inheritance went to brother of wife and not her cousin, who claimed she was the rightful recipient
- Obtained summary judgement for legal malpractice trial lawyer accused of mishandling the plaintiff’s own legal malpractice trial, resulting in a $10 million verdict against him, after trial court found plaintiff had unclean hands
- Obtained summary judgment for commercial litigator sued for allegedly erring handling of two trial court matters and one appeal, after judgment in one of those cases for attorney’s fees was used to bar under res judicata, the malpractice action
- Obtained dismissal of lawsuit against GAL for alleged malpractice in representing children of divorced parents
- Dismissal of lawsuit against GAL for alleged violations of wiretap act and conspiracy
- Directed verdict for a trust and estates attorney in a claim of malpractice
- Successfully defended real estate attorney at trial in Cook County who refused to consent to settle, and verdict came in for less than the plaintiff’s final demand
- Successfully tried case for six days in Cook County, resulting in settlement where construction lawyer only paid 15% of the demand issued before trial
- Successfully tried case for eight days in Winnebago County where real estate transactional lawyer paid only 2.5% of the last demand before trial
- Seventh Circuit affirmed summary judgment for litigator in case where he was alleged to have filed untimely liable, and other claims, after plaintiff failed to disclose an expert linking the supposedly lost claims to his damages
- Seventh Circuit affirmed defense verdict for appellate lawyer accused of waiving an issue on appeal that caused no damages to the client
